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Seven Signs of the Lion
The novel Seven Signs of the Lion is a magical journey to the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine. Part magical realism, part travelogue, part adventure novel, and part love story, it is a fragmented, hybrid work about a mysterious and mythical place. The hero of the novel Nicholas Bilanchuk is a gatherer of living souls, the unique individuals he meets over the course of his five-month stay in his ancestral homeland.
These include the enigmatic Mr. Viktor, who, with one eye that always glimmers, in a dream summons him across the Atlantic Ocean to the city of lions, becoming his spiritual mentor; the genius mathematician Professor Potojbichny (a man of science with a mystical bent and whose name means "man from the other side"); the exquisite beauty Ada, whose name suggests "woman from Hades" in Ukrainian, whose being emanates irresistible sensuality, but who never lets anyone capture her beauty in a picture; the schizophrenic artist Ivan the Ghostseer, who lives in a bohemian hovel of a basement apartment and in an alcohol-induced trance paints the spirits of the city that torment him; and the curly-haired elfin Raya, whose name suggests "paradise" in Ukrainian and who becomes the primary guide and companion for Nicholas on his journey to self-realization. The hero is summoned to the land of his ancestors to find the "seven signs of the lion" in a mysterious quest. The multicultural and unique architectural aspects of the "city of lions" with its medieval old town dating back several centuries is showcased. Part cultural history, the novel deals with the legends and myths surrounding the city and its environs. Anglophone readers will be introduced to a country, a people and a culture that largely remain undiscovered for them.
These include the enigmatic Mr. Viktor, who, with one eye that always glimmers, in a dream summons him across the Atlantic Ocean to the city of lions, becoming his spiritual mentor; the genius mathematician Professor Potojbichny (a man of science with a mystical bent and whose name means "man from the other side"); the exquisite beauty Ada, whose name suggests "woman from Hades" in Ukrainian, whose being emanates irresistible sensuality, but who never lets anyone capture her beauty in a picture; the schizophrenic artist Ivan the Ghostseer, who lives in a bohemian hovel of a basement apartment and in an alcohol-induced trance paints the spirits of the city that torment him; and the curly-haired elfin Raya, whose name suggests "paradise" in Ukrainian and who becomes the primary guide and companion for Nicholas on his journey to self-realization. The hero is summoned to the land of his ancestors to find the "seven signs of the lion" in a mysterious quest. The multicultural and unique architectural aspects of the "city of lions" with its medieval old town dating back several centuries is showcased. Part cultural history, the novel deals with the legends and myths surrounding the city and its environs. Anglophone readers will be introduced to a country, a people and a culture that largely remain undiscovered for them.
346 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
6 people want to read
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May 5, 2017
Nicholas’s tour of the museum took him from the ninth century or so nearly to his present. It was filled with history, with the labours of people from his patria’s past, with weapons of all kinds used to defend the land. While he looked closely at the various displays, each object had a story to tell. He was left with the feeling that something or some things there in that museum of antiquities would be invaluable to his quest. He just needed to keep himself open to the messages the objects might provide for him in the telegraphic language of musty time. (p. 208)
That is exactly how I felt throughout this puzzling book. As with most of the rest of the 330-odd pages, I waded through eight pages of description about the objects in this museum with a feeling that something would reveal the author’s purpose as long as I stayed open to the possibility. But I remained mystified. Because of the reference to lions in the title my antenna went on alert when Nicholas saw a lion on a flag… I paid special attention when Nicholas felt pressure in his chest when he moved away from a particular portrait… I wondered if there was a Da Vinci Code element to it all when he got to the church relics. Were there clues I was missing??
Seven Signs of the Lion might be described as a journey of self-discovery. A dissatisfied academic at a minor university travels from the US to the city of Lviv to unravel his conflicted feelings about his identity and Ukrainian heritage. He is an observer wanting to belong, and he is predisposed to like everything he sees. What amounts to a travelogue is framed around a pseudo-mystical dream where he is told to go to the city of lions where all the answers will be if he makes the journey.
Snippets, just patches of words quilted together. Nicholas wished he could have remembered more. In those moments right after lucid awakening, everything is clear. Just a short time later the dream memory like a stained glass window broken by a thrown brick and fallen to the ground was now shattered in shards and losing its narrative. You could see parts of it in individual pieces, but its wholeness was gone. Perhaps the wholeness of it would have made more sense to him. But then again, it was now a mystery. Mysteries leave a trail to follow to solve and a pressing need to solve and resolve them. And Nicholas needed to find the glue to reconstruct the shattered stained glass narrative for himself. (p. 13)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/05/06/s...
Displaying 1 of 1 review